Hull Band to Prevent Contamination Transfer

ABSTRACT

A Hull Band to prevent contamination transfer. The device can protect a ship hull from contamination from a floating oil spill or to protect the environment from contamination transfer from inside a vessel such as contamination leaking from a garbage truck. Band pleats fit the hull band to an individual hull shape; vertical strips of material to add stiffness to the hull band; weighted hems add tension to the hull band to keep it in place; horizontal securing devices hold the hull band in place; grommets or shackles secure the hull band panels to attach lines for belaying the hull band to cleats or rails. Options include waterproof band panels, and securing of the hull panel with magnet strips and/or double sided tape. The Hull Band can be disposable or designed for repetitive cleaning and use. The Hull Band may also protect complimentary tools such as oil containment booms.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional application 61/448,336 titled Hull Band to Prevent Contamination filed on Mar. 2, 2011 which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to contamination transfer protection in two directions, contamination to a vessel or tool and contamination from a vessel or tool.

One embodiment of the invention is for the contamination protection of the outer surface finish to a vessel such as a ship or boat or for protection of implements during contact with an oil spill or other floating contamination. By protecting vessels traveling into a contaminated area, this contamination can be kept from spreading to clean water or other uncontaminated places when the vessel leaves the contaminated area without the significant loss of time that would be needed to decontaminate the vessel hull itself.

Another embodiment of the invention is contamination protection of the environment from a vessel such as a garbage truck where the hull band is wrapped around the openings in the truck during transport to catch leaking contamination before it reaches the environment.

Prior art devices in marine applications relate to long term prevention of fouling and damage from aquatic organisms, corrosion, and wear and tear that necessitate protective devices that cover the whole hull of a ship. The present device is a targeted device that protects portions of a hull for short term prevention of contamination transfer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A Hull Band to protect a vessel hull a distance above and below sources of contamination such as floating contamination comprising; a plurality of water permeable 10-50 micron mesh size fabric band panels that have a height equal to the distance above plus the distance below the sources of contamination; a plurality of band pleats to fit the hull band to an individual hull shape; a plurality of vertical strips of material to add stiffness to the hull band; a plurality of weighted hems to add tension to the hull band to keep it in place; a plurality of horizontal securing devices to hold the hull band in place; a plurality of grommets secured to the hull band panels to attach a plurality of lines for belaying the hull band to cleats or rails. Options include supplementary hull and stern bands, waterproof band panels securing of the hull panel with magnet strips and/or double sided tape, standoff provisions for securing the band at a distance from the ship and use of the bands on implements used in contaminated areas such as hoses. The Hull Band can be disposable or designed for repetitive cleaning and use. Optionally larger mesh sizes can be used for contaminated area use where the mesh size is 50-250 microns or 250-500 microns where appropriate for the particular contaminate involved. An optional impermeable fabric panel is used where no water permeability is desired.

The height of the band panel (the distance above the contamination source plus the distance below the contamination source) varies with the vessel it is covering and depends on speed, shape and other factors. One example would be a four foot band that extends both two feet above and two feet below the water line of a ship or boat. For a water vessel such as a ship or boat, the band panel does not extend under the entire vessel and is not intended for general fouling prevention but rather for floating contamination such as an oil spill.

The hull band or marine implement band is designed to be disposed of along with the contamination or to be safely cleaned under appropriate conditions saving operators time and expense from having to decontaminate significant portions of the vessels and tools used.

The hull band may be used to protect contamination from land vessels such as garbage trucks to catch leaking contamination from inside the truck from leaking openings in the truck from contaminating the outside environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of a Hull Band surrounding the hull of a water vessel a distance above and below the waterline of the ship.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a Hull Band surrounding the hull of a water vessel a distance above and below the waterline of a ship where the Hull Band is secured by standoffs a distance away from the ship.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, A Hull Band 10 protects a vessel hull 12 a distance above 26 and below a waterline from a floating contamination 14, comprising a plurality of water permeable mesh band panels 30 that have a height equal to the distance above plus the distance below the waterline, a plurality of band pleats 32 to fit the hull band 10 to an individual hull shape, a plurality of vertical strips of material 34 to add stiffness to the hull band 10; a plurality of weighted hems 38 to add tension to the hull band 10 to keep it in place; a plurality of horizontal securing devices 36 to hold the hull band 10 in place; a plurality of connectors such as grommets or shackles 20 secured to the hull band panels 30 to attach a plurality of lines 22 for belaying the hull band 10 to cleats 18 or rails. Examples of horizontal securing devices 36 are magnets or double-sided tape.

The hull band 10 is secured a distance above 26 and below the contamination source (in this case contaminants floating at the waterline) 16 with the distance above 26 the waterline 16 optionally being higher at a bow 22 of the ship than it is at a stern 24 of the ship. The Hull Band protects the hull 12 of a ship while in contaminated waters 14 and is easily removed when the ship leaves the area preventing the spread of the contamination without an expensive and time consuming decontamination process. The hull band 10 can be disposed of along with the contamination or can be designed for repetitive cleaning and repetitive use.

The hull band 10 is fitted to the hull 12 using a plurality of band panels 30 and a plurality of pleats 32. A secondary plurality of band panels 30 and a plurality of pleats 32 can be used to provide an overlapping protection of the bow 22 or stern 24 of the ship if needed to meet wind, weather speed or other conditions where the ship's motion requires further protection.

The hull band 10 is comprised of water permeable fabric with mesh sizes of 10-50 microns 50-250 microns, 250-500 microns or other suitable mesh sizes in order to be water and air permeable but to prevent the passage of oil, biological (viruses and bacteria) and other contaminants. The hull band 10 is designed to be temporary, akin to wearing a protective glove made to be easily cleaned or disposed of rather than meant for continual use. Options include a hull band 10 that is comprised of waterproof fabric for specific applications such as a diesel oil spill where the spill characteristics necessitate a flexible design that is adaptable to specific contaminations. Options include a hull band 10 that covers an implement such as a hose used in the contaminated area.

Referring to FIG. 2, the hull band 10 may be secured at a distance from the ship using standoffs 40. Standoffs are defined as rigid tools such as poles that are held in geometric shapes such as lines, triangles, rectangles, etc that secure the hull band away from the ship.

In order to protect from contamination transfer in the opposite direction, the hull band 10 may be secured to a land vessel such as a garbage truck above and below sources of leaking contamination in order to catch the contamination from the truck before it enters the environment.

The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operation shown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like. 

1. A Hull Band to prevent contamination transfer comprising; a plurality of hull band panels that are made of water permeable mesh fabric; a plurality of band pleats to fit the hull band to an individual hull shape; a plurality of vertical strips of material to add stiffness to the hull band; a plurality of weighted hems to add tension to the hull band to keep it in place; a plurality of horizontal securing devices to hold the hull band in place; a plurality of mechanical connectors secured to the hull band to attach a plurality of lines for belaying the hull band to cleats or rails.
 2. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the hull is that of a water vessel and the device prevents contamination transfer to the water vessel from contaminants floating on the surface of the water.
 3. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the hull is that of a land vessel such as a garbage truck wherein the device keeps contamination transfer from leaking openings in the truck from contaminating the outside environment.
 4. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the band panels are not water permeable.
 5. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the horizontal securing device is a magnet strip.
 6. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the horizontal securing device is double sided tape.
 7. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the device protected is an implement such as a boom or hose to be used in the contaminated area.
 8. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein a secondary hull band is added to the bow or stern of the vessel overlapping the hull band.
 9. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the mesh size is 10-50 microns.
 10. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the mesh size is 50-250 microns.
 11. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the mesh size is 250-500 microns.
 12. The Hull Band of claim 1 wherein the device is secured with standoffs at a distance from the vessel hull. 